This month is dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary. A poignant title of Our Lady replete with meaning. As you will discover on our home page (click this title of Our Lady on our slideshow), it is rooted in another title of the Blessed Mother — Our Lady of Victory. This is a deeply inspiring title and reminds me of yet another title of Mary — Our Lady of Grace (Feast Day, May 31). Her words to Saint Catherine Laboure, full of promise, echo in my heart. They are words for us to ponder anew in this our day and time.

In Our Lady’s vision to Saint Catherine, brilliant rays flowed from the jewels in the rings she wore on her fingers. The Blessed Mother explained to Saint Catherine: These rays symbolize the graces I shed upon those who ask for them. The gems from which rays do not fall are the graces for which souls forget to ask.

I began to reflect upon those forgotten graces and wondered what would happen in my spiritual life, in my relationships with others, in apostolate, in every area of my life if I beseeched Our Lady to dispense those favors and blessings upon me.

Would my progress in the spiritual life be hastened? Would I overcome interior obstacles and hindrances with greater facility? To what extent would these forgotten graces smooth the rough edges of my personality and disposition? How would they positively impact the work of apostolate? Would they make the mundanalities of daily life seem less mundane — would I suddenly enjoy unloading the dishwasher, for example? Probably not, but might I be able to do it with greater joy and patience?

And then, I began to wonder what would happen if all of us sought the graces locked up in Our Lady’s symbolic gems. Can you imagine! Perhaps the entire world of man would change significantly. Maybe the moral crisis of our society might be overcome. Perhaps the dictatorship of relativism could end. Maybe the hearts of fathers would turn to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers (Malachi 4:6). Wow!

Then this amazing thought entered my mind – maybe these forgotten graces are the unprecedented graces God has reserved for these unprecedented times! Perhaps they have been held in reserve – the really “big gun” graces ready to explode with the power of God if they are asked for! I liked this idea – a lot!

So here is my proposition to you today: let’s all pledge to ask for these graces everyday for the rest of this month — perhaps as we pray our daily Rosary — and let’s try to remind ourselves to do so (sticky notes posted on my mirror or steering wheel are great memory prodders for me). Let’s just see what begins to happen in us and around us and through us. I have a feeling, I just have a feeling we are going to experience marvelous works of the Lord.

Mary, Queen of Unprecedented Graces bestow the forgotten ones on us and on this day and time. Amen!